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Explore 26 wilderness paths along North America's easternmost coastline. The East Coast Trail unites genuine wilderness hiking with richly historic communities from Portugal Cove, to Cape St. Francis, to Cappahayden. There are over 300 kilometers of developed trail to explore. The paths of the East Coast Trail take you past towering cliffs and headlands, sea stacks, deep fjords, and a natural wave-driven geyser called the Spout. Experience abandoned settlements, lighthouses, ecological reserves, seabird colonies, whales, icebergs, the world's southernmost caribou herd, historic sites, a 50-metre suspension bridge, two active archaeological dig sites, and many more attractions.

About East Coast Trail

Explore 26 wilderness paths along North America's easternmost coastline. The East Coast Trail unites genuine wilderness hiking with richly historic communities from Portugal Cove, to Cape St. Francis, to Cappahayden. There are over 300 kilometers of developed trail to explore. The paths of the East Coast Trail take you past towering cliffs and headlands, sea stacks, deep fjords, and a natural wave-driven geyser called the Spout. Experience abandoned settlements, lighthouses, ecological reserves, seabird colonies, whales, icebergs, the world's southernmost caribou herd, historic sites, a 50-metre suspension bridge, two active archaeological dig sites, and many more attractions.

My friend and I traveled to Newfoundland to hike segments of the East Coast Trail. It was awesome. Very doable to rent a car, park it at trailhead, hike a segment and taxi back to your car on most segments of the trail. We witnessed...More

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Ask Dawn B about East Coast Trail

4 Thank Dawn B

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

East Coast Trai... A, Marketing Student at East Coast Trail, responded to this reviewResponded 2 days ago

Hello Dawn,
Thank you for your kind review. We are so glad you and your friend had a great trip to Newfoundland and enjoyed our Trail! We are glad to hear that you found transportation doable, we have a lot of questions and concerns about...More

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

We hiked different parts of the East Coast trail. We saw beautiful views. Some of the moderate trails were difficult and some of the moderate trails were easy!!More

Ask shrink516 about East Coast Trail

Thank shrink516

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

East Coast Trai... A, Marketing Student at East Coast Trail, responded to this reviewResponded 2 days ago

Hello,
Thank you for your kind review.
We have rated our paths based on such things as the length, the average time to complete and the difficulty of terrain. Hope this helps any confusion.
We are glad you enjoyed your hikes, and hope you will...More

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

The views, the trails, the people and the sights, all spectacular. Some sections of the trails offer more technical hikes, others offer a more leisurely trail, and never be in a hurry, your camera phone will get quite the workout!More

Ask Gary T about East Coast Trail

1 Thank Gary T

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

East Coast Trai... A, Marketing Student at East Coast Trail, responded to this reviewResponded 2 days ago

Hello Gary,
Thank you for your kind review. We love to hear when people enjoy our trails, communities, and scenery. The people of course add to the culture and the beauty of this province. You are correct, each path on our trail offers its own...More

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Signage not great so rest assured there is an easier route to the top than I took. You don't have to walk straight up the mountain. . However you get to the top, the vistas are outstandingMore

Ask htd2017 about East Coast Trail

Thank htd2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

East Coast Trai... A, Marketing Student at East Coast Trail, responded to this reviewResponded 2 days ago

Hello,
Thank you for your review. We work hard to ensure our signage is clear and open for hikers, especially visitors to our province. We will pass this information on and bring it to our team for further evaluation. We also always suggest if you...More

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

This trail is a must-do. You can choose an easy trail, or a difficult trail....it's up to you. But you won't find a better place than Newfoundland for hiking, and the East Coast Trail has been prepared for all levels.More

Ask B6595XGdonnam about East Coast Trail

1 Thank B6595XGdonnam

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

East Coast Trai... A, Marketing Student at East Coast Trail, responded to this reviewResponded 2 days ago

Hello,
Thank you for your review of the ECT. We take great pride in having paths (sections of our trail) rated from easy - moderate - difficult for all hikers out there. Everyone deserves that hiking trail they can comfortably finish at their own pace....More

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

I hiked this trail the first weekend in August. The trail was in great condition and well marked. There were plenty of whales and seabirds and facinating geology. One of things that makes this section of the East Coast Trail so amazing (in my opinion!)...More

Ask scggnb about East Coast Trail

1 Thank scggnb

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Looking to do a good hike in under 3 hours with lots of great scenery? Then take a walk on the Silver Mine Head Path. We started and ended at Middle Cove Beach. The trail is 2.4 kms, and ends at Motion Drive, but most...More

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Ask Carl154964 about East Coast Trail

Thank Carl154964

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

I did both the Sugarloaf Path and Cape Spear Path of the East Coast trail, and I wasn't disappointed. These paths are slightly difficult, especially when it's raining, but the landscapes make it all worth it.

Ask genevieve r about East Coast Trail

Thank genevieve r

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

We parked lower down by the trailhead for our hike (would suggest this if you are hiking). Walked up to see lighthouse which was a nice warm up hike, it's not far. The lazy pull into parking, realize they have to walk, and drive up....More

Ask Natalie H about East Coast Trail

2 Thank Natalie H

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

The East Coast Trail website is awesome. I am not a hiker but I wanted to experience some of the trail. I was able to choose the easiest hike near to me, and also along the water because I wanted to see more Ocean! I...More

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Ask Ashley H about East Coast Trail

2 Thank Ashley H

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

It is tricky but we used taxi services on 3 occasions. We called ahead of time to make sure the taxi was able to pick us up at the end of the trailhead. The taxi drivers are quite used to people on the ECT.

We rented a car at the airport and we did that in advance of our arrival. There is a Newfoundland Tourism office at the airport that will tell you where the most recent icebergs are and give you directions. It's very easy... More

We rented a car at the airport and we did that in advance of our arrival. There is a Newfoundland Tourism office at the airport that will tell you where the most recent icebergs are and give you directions. It's very easy to get around there and you can rent a vehicle with GPS. The downtown core is easily walkable.
We did the boat tour called Gatheralls (family owned business) and the departure is Bay Bulls, just 1/2 hr south of St. Johns. A very cool iceberg was very close to the bay and in the vicinity of small rocky islands where lots of birds nest as well as Puffins. It was an extremely windy day where some gusts of winds would ram up your nostrils and make it hard to breathe through your nose. That only served to make the Puffins fly higher than normal:) Dress warm! I wore a jean jacket with a light down jacket with hood and gloves. If you have a thin touque that would work well to keep the hair from flying all around. It makes it tough to walk around on the boat but staff is there to assist you and overall it was a memorable part of our trip! A beautiful young gal that is the niece of the owner sang some local tunes for us which made it quite fun!
The hike we did was just north of St. Johns in the area of Middle Cove and Upper cove. It was just a 15 min hike in from the parking lot. Again, ask at the Tourism office regarding hikes as there are many and varied. This hike was not to strenuous but you could hike up the hill higher once you're at the coastal area if you want more of a challenge.